Hawaiian Chicken Fiasco

My "biscuits" didn't turn out tonight. Well I guess eventually they did, but it was a rough go, believe me! It all started out several months ago when I made a delicious crock pot Hawaiian Chicken dinner for my gluten-free/low-sodium/low-fat/lactose-intolerant/allergic dad. It tasted good to him, didn't make him sick and was "legal" (which is a difficult combination to find). He and my mom got the recipe from me, but when they tried to make it in their crock pot it didn't work quite as well. Their crock was quite a bit smaller than mine and very old. I suggested that they try it in their pressure cooker, but they were hesitant because it turned out so bad the first time.

Well, tonight I decided to convert the Hawaiian Chicken slow cooker recipe to a pressure cooker recipe. I've discussed the benefits of pressure cookers in an earlier post - time, nutrition, energy-savings, etc. For these reasons and to find a recipe my dad could eat and would like, I wanted to try it. I'll preface the rest of my story by saying I don't have a lot of experience cooking with pressure cookers. I've only had mine for a couple of months and I've used it mainly to cook grains and legumes.

Well, I put all the ingredients in, shut the lid and turned it on high - just like I always do when I cook beans or grains. A few minutes later I smelled this awful smell - and smoke was billowing out of the pot! I quickly opened it up. The bottom of the pan was black along with everything touching it. It smelled awful! I took out the half-raw/half-burnt contents and salvaged what I could.

I spent the next 30 min scrubbing my pot. The kids were hungry and tired. They finally got distracted with my open tupperware drawer and pretty soon tupperware and lids were flying all over the kitchen. Of course this didn't help my rattlebrain thought processes any. I managed to clean most of the black off the bottom, but I gave up before it was completely clean. I figured since the food already smelt like burnt food, a little more char from the bottom wouldn't hurt it too much.

I placed the food in the pot for a second time and added some more liquid because I figured that's what I had done wrong. This time I heated up the pan before adding the lid and stirred the contents until they were simmering pretty good. Then I tried to put my lid on and in the middle of the chaos, I somehow managed to get the lid on crooked. It was stuck pretty good and I tried for about ten minutes to get it off to no avail. Finally I brought it over to the sink and pried it off, spilling half of the contents down the sink in the process.

By this time I knew I was running out of time. My husband would be home in a few minutes and the kids were starving. I handed a few crackers to them and bribed them with more if they would clean up the tupperware mess. I threw some more ingredients in the pot and cranked it up for the third time. I stirred until it simmered and carefully replaced the lid. When it went up to pressure I breathed a sigh of relief and waited for the burning smell, but it gladly never came.

A few minutes later my husband walks in the door to a fairly unchaotic house. The tupperware had somehow dissappeared back into the drawer by this time, the kids were quietly eating their crackers and I was in the process of setting the table. I thought, wow, I pulled this off. At least so far. We'll see what happens when I open that pot in 20 minutes! I kept my mouth shut and decided that either way, it'd be better if I told my story after the food was tasted.

When I opened the pot, to my great astonishment, it was all right. The quanties of ingredients weren't quite right (probably because of my halfhazard spills and additions), but it was edible. My husband said he actually enjoyed it (even after hearing my tale).

Here's a few things I learned from this experience.

1. Pressure cookers require plenty of liquid to keep from burning the bottom of the pan
2. When cooking food that doesn't have a lot of liquid, stir the ingredients and let them simmer pretty good before you put on the lid
3. Don't put the lid on wrong because it's hard to get off - all of those lid-locking devices really work!
4. Never give up on trying to salvage your unsuccessful cooking attempts
5. If you keep your mouth shut, sometimes people won't notice the mistakes

I was half-tempted to make the recipe again tonight (now that I know how) to get the ingredients right so I could post it for you. But I decided I'd better quit while I'm still ahead. I'm afraid it'll have to wait for another time. When I get a chance to make it again I'll post my new-and-improved pressure cooker Hawaiian Chicken recipe for you to enjoy!

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Roma Strainer Review

My husband bought me a Roma Strainer for my birthday recently. I love it! Making applesauce is a breeze with this awesome kitchen gadget. It's not what I'd term a necessity, but for homemade applesauce or tomato sauce makers it is definitely a good investment. It's easy to use and speeds up the processing time by hours!

The only drawback I have with the strainer so far is that is has a lot of small parts that are hard to keep track of. Like this morning for instance, my husband was washing the dishes. When he ran the garbage disposal, there was this awful grinding noise. He quickly stopped it and looked inside. To his dismay, there was a small rubber gasket from the brand-new Roma Strainer he had bought me clogged in the disposal. When he pulled it out, it was all chewed up. Oh well, at least they make replacement parts!

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The many uses for Pureed Pumpkin

Are there more uses for a pumpkin than just carving scary faces and lighting them with a candle on Halloween? The answer is yes, of course. Pureed pumpkin is a wonderful thing and there are dozens of things you can put it in. The nice thing about pumpkins is that they are very easy to grow in the garden and they store very well (for about 6 months) in a cool basement. After harvesting the pumpkins, let them sit in a warm place for about 2 weeks to cure before putting them in the basement (this allows the stems to fully dry out). You can't store them after carving of course; they have to be left whole. But you can use the meat from the carved ones if you use it within a few days (before it starts to mold). If you didn't grow any this year, this is a great time to go buy them for cheap and store them this winter. Last year, we grew several pumpkins and they were still good even in April! We just opened them one at a time and cooked and pureed the meat and divided it into 1 and 2 cup portions and froze it. Other winter squash (such as Hubbard, Banana, Butternut, Buttercup, etc) also works well in many of these ideas & recipes.

To start with, I'll first tell you the health benefits of pumpkins. Next I'll describe how to cook & puree pumpkin. Next, I'll list some of my favorite uses for pureed pumpkin. Finally, I'll give a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Health Benefits of PumpkinPumpkins are orange because of the high amounts of carotenoids found in their meat. Carotenoids have great anti-cancer properties. Pumpkins are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin, which help promote the health of eyes. Pumpkins also contain nutrients like Vitamin C, potassium, iron, zinc, and fiber. These are all important to overall good health.

Pumpkin seeds are also very healthy. They are high in zinc and essential fatty acids. Be sure to roast your seeds at or below 300 degrees to protect the inherent good fats.

How to Prepare Pureed Pumpkin (don't you love the P's?):
To start with, cut the top off the pumpkin and scoop out pulp and seeds (Don't throw the seeds away - they are healthy and delicious roasted!). Then use one of the following methods:

• Microwave Method - This is the easiest way I've found. Cut up the pumpkin into pieces that will fit in your microwave. Cover meat side of the pumpkin pieces with plastic wrap and microwave for 5-15 minutes or until meat is tender and you can scoop it out with a fork. Then place the meat in a blender or food strainer and puree (adding a little water if necessary). Then place pumpkin puree in usable portions (1/2 Cup, 1 Cup or 2 Cup increments depending on the recipe) and freeze.

• Oven Method - Cut up the pumpkin and place, cut sides up, in ungreased rectangular baking dish (13x9x2"). Pour water into dish until 1/4" deep. Cover and bake in 400 degree oven 30-40 min, in 350 degree oven about 40 min, in 325 degree oven about 45 min or until tender.
• Boil Method - Slices or cubes - 15 to 20 min or until tender.
• Steam Method - Slices: 12-15 min, Cubes: 7-10 min or until tender.

Uses for Pureed Pumpkin:

• Pumpkin Pie - this is probably a no-brainer at this time of year, but pumpkin pie is delicious all year round!
• Pumpkin Bread - substitute pumpkin for the zucchini in a zucchini bread recipe, or you can make a whole-wheat pumpkin bread that's not sweet.
• Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Cookies
  
• Fat Substitute - you can experiment with substituting pumpkin puree for part or all of the fat in your baking recipes. This works great for cookies, pancakes, waffles, breads, etc.
• Stews or Cream Soups - Add a cup or two of pumpkin to stews or cream soups. Some examples include: cream of broccoli, cream of potato, corn chowder.

Others? What do you do with Pumpkin?

Pumpkin Recipes:
Here are a few of my favorite pumpkin recipes. Many of them are gluten free or can become gluten free with a few alterations. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil, divided
1 C. Pumpkin, cooked and blended
1 lb. bulk sausage*
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 med. Onion, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 C. Chicken broth, divided
2 tsp. ground sage
½ C. heavy cream**
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 lb. penne pasta, cooked
Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Add 1 Tbsp. oil to hot pan & brown sausage. Transfer to paper towel. Drain off fat. Add remaining oil & sauté garlic & onion. Add bay leaf, sage & 1 C. chicken broth. Reduce liquid to half. Add remaining stock & pumpkin. Stir & heat to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat & stir in cream. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken. Cook pasta & drain. Remove bay leaf from sauce. Combine sauce and pasta & top with cheese.

Notes:
*you can substitute tvp (textured vegetable protein) for the meat. We usually do 1/2 sausage and 1/2 tvp. Just rehydrate about 1/2 C. of unflavored tvp (cover with water and let sit 10-15 min), then add it when you are browning the sausage and it will take on the flavor.
**instead of cream you can add milk or half & half or evaporated milk and its fine

Corn, Potato, Pumpkin Chowder
1 lb. bacon*
1 med. onion
6 med. potatoes
1 can cream style corn
1 C. cooked, pureed pumpkin
Cheddar cheese, sour cream opt.

Brown bacon and crumble. Sauté onion with bacon until tender. Add chopped potatoes and cover with water until barely over top of potatoes. Boil until potatoes are tender. Add canned corn and pumpkin. Cook until warmed through. Serve topped with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese if desired. Can add cooked grains into this recipe for added health.

Notes:
*I usually use a lot less bacon - maybe 1/3-1/2 lb. It tastes just fine and is a lot better for you.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
3 C. pumpkin, cooked, pureed
3 C. brown sugar
¾ C. butter, softened
¾ C. canola oil
4 C. whole wheat flour (or other grain)
4 C. rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. salt
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Mix pumpkin, sugar, butter and oil well. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Bake 375 F for 8-10 min. Makes 11 dozen 2” cookies.

Pumpkin Muffins
1-1/2 C. flour (use freshly ground whole-grain - try oat, brown rice, barley, spelt or combination)
1/2 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
½ C. milk
1/2 C. canned pumpkin
1/4 C. butter, melted
1 egg

Mix all ingredients just until flour is moistened. Batter should be lumpy. Grease bottoms of muffin pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

If you have any other great pumpkin recipes - will you post them as comments for us? Thanks!

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Oriental Green Rice Salad

Joanna asked for this one. I made it and brought it to a dinner a few months ago. My husband, Brandon, told me the ingredients that would go well together and they did! It's really good for you too - especially if you use the chard! We grow the chard in our garden and we pick it when it's young and tender. It is really good as a spinach substitute in salads when picked that way. Another gluten free recipe for the gluten intolerant (other than the chow-mein noodles)!

Oriental Green Rice Salad
3-4 C. Swiss chard (or spinach), chopped fresh
1-1/4 C. brown rice, cooked and cooled (2- 3 C. cooked)
½-3/4 C. Chopped peanuts
¼ - ½ C. Green onions, chopped
1 15-oz. can mandarin oranges

Toss above ingredients together

Dressing:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4-5 tsp. brown sugar
1 clove garlic, minced

Mix dressing together in saucepan until thickens and cool. Toss with salad. Chill until serving. Just before serving, mix salad and then add topping.

Topping:
½ - ¾ C. chow mien noodles

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Delicious Spaghetti Squash Meal

This is what I made for dinner tonight. It is the perfect fall dinner: light and full of wonderful vegetables. And for the gluten intolerant folks, it's gluten free!

Delicious Spaghetti Squash Meal
1 Spaghetti Squash (about 1 ½ pounds)
1 med onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 small green pepper, chopped (about ½ cup)
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
4 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 4 cups)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried oregano leaves
¼ tsp dried basil leaves
1/8 tsp pepper
¼ C. grated Parmesan or other cheese

Poke holes in spaghetti squash with fork and cook in the microwave whole uncovered 18-23 minutes, turning squash over after 8 minutes, until tender. Let stand uncovered 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook onion, green pepper and garlic in oil in saucepan over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, Stir in tomatoes, salt, oregano, basil and pepper. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

Cut squash in half; remove seeds and fibers. Remove strands with two forks; toss with cheese. Spoon tomato mixture over squash. Fun to serve in the hollowed out squash shells.

Linked to: Recipe Swap

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Chef Brad

I have an awesome uncle. His name is Chef Brad. He is an amazing chef and an amazing person. I have learned a lot from him. One of the things that makes him so amazing is that he cooks with a lot of whole grains and legumes. He is a master at adding nutrition into food without compromising the flavor. You can check out his website:

http://chefbrad.com/

He has some great cook books that are really helpful in getting started. Two of them are listed below and the other two you can buy from his website.



Here is an interview that he had with Suzanne Osmond.

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The Benefits of Pressure Cookers

One of the best tools for cooking grains and legumes is a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers have historically been labeled as "unsafe", but this is not true of pressure cookers today. Just like anything else, most pressure cookers are perfectly safe when their directions are followed. Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about pressure cookers.

How does a pressure cooker work?
The answer from a physics perspective would take up several pages, so I'll spare you and give a brief synopsis. Pressure cookers have tight fitting lids that lock into place. As the liquid inside the pot evaporates it makes steam and the steam rises to the top of the pot. As the steam rises it creates pressure in the pot and the temperature of the contents begins to increase. As the temperature and pressure increase, the cooking time of food is sped up considerably. For more details on the science behind pressure cooking, see this popular science article: http://www.popsci.com/node/22352.

What are the benefits of using a pressure cooker?

• Pressure-cooking can cook foods in 1/3 the ordinary time on average and often over 10 times faster. You can cook almost all grains and legumes from start to finish (no soaking necessary) in an hour or less.
• Pressure-cooked foods retain their flavor better than other methods because (1) the steam permeates the food and unlocks its flavor and (2) pressure cooking doesn't use a lot of water where flavors can dissolve into.
• Pressure-cooked food retains more of its nutrients than other cooking methods. This is because of shortened cooking times and less water used.
• When cooking in a pressure cooker, you can use less fat.
• Pressure cooking uses less energy than most other cooking methods.

What kind of pressure cooker should I buy?
I use a Kuhn Rikon and I highly recommend it. It has performed excellently. My "dream" pressure cooker is pictured here. It is a 6 Quart Digital Cuisinart. I have used this pressure cooker before and it is a miracle. It plugs into an outlet and has a digital timer. You pour the contents in, turn it on and it cooks dinner for you. It's just like a slow-cooker, but it's not slow. When it's done cooking, it will keep the food warm until you are ready to serve it.



Does anyone have any more information to share about pressure cookers, other pressure-cooker brands they like, or experiences with pressure cookers to share?

Update: I have since bought a 6 Quart Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker and it is wonderful!

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Bread Making Tips and Tools

Making homemade bread is a great way to start adding whole grains into your diet. The following are some tools you will need to be successful in making bread:

• Bread pans - I prefer pyrex pans (glass) as they give the bread a crispy outer crust and cook the bread evenly.
• Bread mixer - this is not optional in my opinion. I prefer Bosch mixers - the compact Bosch is perfect for a small family - it makes 3 loaves.

• Grain Mill - I love the Wonder Mill (used to be called Whisper Mill). Hand mills are excellent for emergency situations, but impractical in my mind for everyday bread making. Freshly ground grains add more nutrition to your diet than store bought flours. The fresher the flour, the more vitamins and minerals it will contain, and the better it is for your family.

Now for some tips:

• Yeast - I use SAF-instant yeast. It is wonderful!
• Dough should still be very sticky when dough mixing. In fact, so sticky that when you go to put it in the pans, you can't form the loaves without putting a little oil on your hands first.
• Gluten Flour - the purpose of the gluten flour in my whole-wheat bread recipe is to stick the bread together better. Gluten is like glue. Freshly ground whole-wheat tends to have less gluten than the white flour you can buy in the store. When using whole-wheat flour it takes more flour to make the bread stick together, which makes the bread less moist, more dense and less tasty. Adding the gluten flour makes the bread stick together better without having to add more flour and hence keeps it moist, light and very tasty.

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Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

In my mind there's nothing quite as wonderful as fresh homemade bread. Even just the thought of it makes my mouth water. To me the smell of homemade bread wafting through the house is one of contentment and love. With six kids growing up, my Mom baked bread almost every day. I remember most days coming home from school and having a big, thick slice of it spread with butter. Of course I didn't appreciate it then as much as I do now. I remember my friends ranting and raving about how good the bread was when they'd come over. I remember thinking, "What? What's the big deal? Don't all Moms do this?" Now I realize, that no, not all Moms did it then and even fewer do it now. I love my Mom for what she created with her homemade bread. Not only healthy food for her family, but a delicious memory as well.

Here's my homemade bread recipe. It is a whole-wheat bread recipe with no white flour.  

Whole Wheat Bread
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2-3 min or until quite warm ( >110° F)

1/3 Cup oil
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)

½ Cup gluten flour*

½ Cup ground flax seed, optional (adds a great texture)

½ Cup rolled or quick oats, optional
3+ Cups freshly ground whole wheat flour (ground from hard white wheat)
2 Tbsp yeast on top of flour

DIRECTIONS:

Combine above ingredients in Bosch mixer with dough hook and mix. Add more whole wheat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. Divide dough into 3 loaves (the dough will still be VERY sticky - so sticky that you won't be able to form your loaves without putting oil on your hands). Put dough in oiled pans. Let rise until double or until the bread fills the pans. While bread is rising, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the bread has risen, bake it at 400 deg. for 5 minutes. Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 25 min or until done.

*NOTE on the Gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use 1/2 cup for 3 loaves so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread, that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

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Basics Ways to Add Nutrition into Meals

The best way to begin cooking healthily for your family is to start with meals and recipes that you already use and that your family already likes. Just like most people don't go out and get a whole new wardrobe all at once, don't seek to change your families diet all at once. Start with the basics. Select a few recipes that your family likes and that you think you may be able to modify to be more healthy. Look for recipes that have basic ingredients and few processed foods. Then just dive in. Here are some ideas of where to start:

• Blend up some vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini or other squash) and add them to spaghetti sauce or other sauce.
• Substitute some whole grain flour (wheat or other grain) for part of the white flour in breads or desserts.
• Add some cooked, chilled grains or legumes to a fresh salad.
• Add cooked, pureed pumpkin or other winter squash to cream soups.
• Use bean or other whole-grain flour to thicken soups and sauces instead of white flour.
• Use beans or cooked grains as a ground beef (or other meat) extender.
• Use dehydrated fruits (apples, raisins, etc) and unsalted nuts as snacks instead of prepackaged snacks that are often high in fat, sodium and sugar.

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Introduction to Healthy Families, Warm Hearts

This blog is dedicated to helping those who want to learn more about provident living and creating nutritious, healthy meals for their families. Although I have no formal training in these fields, I have done a lot of experimenting and I will share with you what I have learned. I studied science for my undergraduate and graduate degrees (physics). I love to experiment and to create my own healthy recipes. Some of them work and, as my family can attest to, some of them flop miserably. When either my husband or I have a flop, we like to say lightheartedly that, "our biscuits didn't turn out." This statement is based on an experience early in our marriage when one of us made some biscuits that turned out as hard as rocks and completely disgusting. We try not to let those flops discourage us from experimenting again, but we try not to repeat them too often.

Before I take too much credit here, I must say that my husband Brandon is the mastermind and genius behind many of these recipes. He has introduced me to many of the principles and concepts I will talk about here. I would never have been brave enough to modify my first recipe if he hadn't first and showed me how. I would never even have tried most of the recipes if he hadn't served me delicious food made from strange-sounding recipes. I like to think of him as the artist and me as a scientist. He loves to create artistically and I like to create methodically. With this combination, however, it makes for a pretty good pair. We've both learned to use elements of both methods to create our masterpieces.

Along with the cooking, we also enjoy growing our own vegetables and try to use them as much as we can in the meals we create. We've found that not only does using home-grown vegetables pack vitamins and minerals into our diets, but they add flavor and texture that is delicious. To have the vegetables on hand in our own garden has made it much more convenient and practical to add large quantities of vegetables to every meal.

We cook mainly with basic, unprocessed ingredients such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables and plenty of spices. Foods like this store better and contain many more essential nutrients than their processed counterparts. We enjoy a good steak or roast every now and again, but as a general rule we use legumes and whole grains for meat substitutes or extenders in our recipes. These substitutes are much less expensive, can taste just as good if prepared correctly and are much more nutritious than meat.

So come, join us in creating nutritious, healthy meals and living providently. Do you have any recipes that you enjoy? Will you share them with us? Do you have any recipes you'd like us to help you modify to make them more healthy? Send them on and we'll give you some tips. For more information about us please see our other blog: www.brandonheatherfam.blogspot.com.

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